Mochas, Books, and Anonymous Messages
by thesirenserenity
Summary: Gajeel, a barista at a library/coffee shop, has a facination with the fairy-like girl that floats through the door each day. Gajevey one-shot
1. Chapter 1

Gajeel watched his hands move with familiar speed as he created the familiar caramel latte. The espresso dropped in the caramel decorated cup, as he frothed the milk, and then mixed it with the coffee and topped it with the foam and a pretty criss-cross pattern of caramel. Setting the cup on a saucer, he smiled at his little sister, Wendy, who ran the latte to the patron who was typing happily away at their laptop.

He looked up at the door opened, sounding a tiny bell and carrying a gust of crisp autumn wind. A tiny girl, her blue hair gleaming under a burnt orange beanie, floated through the door, books tucked in her arm. Wendy greeted her, their sweet voices mingling with the quiet jazz and his of the espresso machine. Just like every other day, she migrated to the library side of the joined coffee shop/library, drawn to the books like a moth to a flame. His eyes followed her, his hands still creating drinks on auto-pilot, watching to see where she went today. Yesterday, it was fantasy books, the day before, it was philosophy.

 _Ahh… History today._

He watched as she scanned the shelves, her eyes crinkling in happiness. He watched as she went on her tip-toes to reach for a book on the second to the highest shelf. He watched as her large brown eyes got bigger, a smile splitting her face, as she read the back cover of the book.

She turned back to face the coffee shop, and Gajeel ducking his head to not get caught watching her.

She floated over to the coffee shop register, smiling her dazzling smile at the large African-American man behind the register. Her little voice chirped, "Hello Lilly!"

Lilly smiled back at her, "Hello Levy, your usual today?"

She giggled, ducking her head in shame. "You know I'm a sucker for your mocha!"

"That's because Gajeel makes it so well," Lilly answered, nodding his head in Gajeel's direction.

Gajeel felt his cheeks heat up, but he tried to contain his blush. He looked up, knowing the fairy-like girl was looking at him, and met her eyes, giving her a small nod.

She rewarded him with a large grin, that did sinful things to his heart, and held eye contact with him while still speaking to Lilly. "Yes, his are the best, by far," she punctuated it with a small wink, causing his heart to beat faster.

He tore his eyes from her, looking back down and busying himself with starting her mocha as she exchanged money with Lilly. He dared to look up as she sauntered away, and tried his best not to watch that sweet, round ass.

He saw Lilly leaning toward him out of the corner of his eye. "Not a word, Lil," he grunted.

Lilly chuckled at him. "Alright, alright. But you're bringing her mocha to her."

Gajeel looked up in terror, his eyes growing wide. As he began to protest, Lilly called Wendy over and sent her on her break, to which she enthusiastically agreed, sending a wink his way.

Gajeel huffed as Lilly nodded his head at the tiny girl sitting at her usual table, curled up in the booth. He scooped up her mocha and shot a glare at his older friend as he stalked around the corner to the table area.

He plopped the chocolatey drink on her table, grunting out a "here's your mocha," before he hastily retreated. He still managed to catch her rewarding smile of gratitude.

As he worked throughout the day, he watched her read. He watched her excitement at a passage, her sorrow at another, and her joy when she discovered something that she promptly jotted down in a notebook at her side. She moved from book to book, seeming to be researching something. What amazed him most was her fascination with the entire topic.

She was just reading old history books, and yet seemed to be reading a griping novel.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, she returned in her usual way. Flitting through the door, she went to stalk the library section and emerged with three novels this time. He watched her as she chatted animatedly with Wendy about the trilogy, watched as she began to sip the mocha he had made her, and watched as she buried her head in the first book.

He could not get over this fascination. He loved watching her read.

Her face would light up when something happened. He could tell when there was a battle, a love scene, and a sad scene. Her face was like an open book, telling him all the stories she had ever read and spilling her adoration for the other worlds.

He adored her passion for the written words.

Lilly had nudged him three times that shift, telling him to go talk to her.

Gajeel wanted to, he truly did. But he was nervous and scared. She probably would rather talk to a guy that was the hero of one of her books, not a gruff punk like him. She probably had a standard she upheld and expectations of guys.

She could never love him with all his mistakes and shadows.

And yet she smiled at him every day, complimented his mochas.

He just wanted to tell her how much he enjoyed watching her read.

When she left that evening, she hadn't finished her trilogy. She was half way through the third book seemed upset that she had to leave it for tomorrow. Gajeel picked the small pile of books off the table, eyeing the cover of the first one, and went to return them to the correct shelf.

He froze in the middle of the store.

 _No, no, no… Bad idea Redfox._

Yet, his feet turned him around and lead him back to the counter of the café. Scooping up a pen and a napkin, he wrote a couple sentences out in block letters and stuck the napkin in the third book on the page her bookmark sat.

Xxxxxxxxxx

The next day, everything followed the same routine, like it had for forever. Levy bounded in, retrieved the book she was so eager to finish and grabbed her mocha. As she curled up into her normal booth, her feet tucked under her, shoes left on the floor, she opened to the page that her bookmark resided.

A small napkin sat pressed in between the pages, small, blocky handwriting printed on it. Levy freed it from the confines of the book and read it in silence, a smile gracing her face.

 _You really show all your emotions on your pretty face, ya know? You make silly faces when you read and it's pretty funny to watch. I really enjoy watching you (not to sound creepy). I wish I could hear all about the stories and fantasy lands you have visited in the books, but you probably wouldn't want to talk to me._

The note was unsigned. Levy looked up frantically, trying to see who the author of the note was. They had to be someone she saw often. Who would…

Her eyes locked on the dark haired barista, who met her gaze and then ducked behind the espresso machine, his cheeks reddening.

A smile graced her face and she unfolded herself from the booth and flounced across the café to the counter. She peeked around the espresso machine, trying to make eye contact with the dark-haired man.

"Gajeel? Did you leave me that note?"

 **Thank you for reading! Leave me a review and let me know what you think :D**

xoxoxo,

Siren


	2. Chapter 2

**Oops, my fingers slipped :D The demand for another chapter/conclusion inspired me.**

 **Thank you!**

Looking back on that day, Gajeel wondered how he ever got through that first conversation. He had to hand it to the shorty, she sure did know how to egg him on! Within the first few conversations, they had established a teasing relationship. He enjoyed the flustered and frustrated look on her face, and he knew she enjoyed making jabs at him. After work, he would go sit with her and watch her read. Sometimes, she would even read out loud to him. After she finished a book, she would always tell him about it.

Days melted into months, and months melted into years. He had gotten into and finished the Mechanic program in his town and was working in a shop nearby. She was in her last year of college, loving every moment of researching and learning, and looking at teaching history at a high school, while pursuing her masters, after college.

They had been dating for two years now. Gajeel, after gaining the guts to ask her out, had put a note in her favorite book, knowing that she would reach for it soon. He was there when she found it, and watched as her face lit up when she found the note. Needless to say, she had been very excited and had actually had the gall to ask him 'what took so long?'

Gajeel smiled down at his girl's head of blue hair, as he tucked her under his arm on their way to their library. Levy nuzzled into his warmth, using him as a shield against the cool autumn wind. He would hate to admit it, but she helped shape him to the man he wanted to be; she gave him a reason to keep striving and improving himself. He did everything for her, to shape their future together.

He held the door open for her, quietly chuckling at her cute little skip through the door to escape the wind. She turned to look at him, her dimples flashing. "I'll get the mochas, you get the books?"

Gajeel just grunted in agreement, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her hair. His heart jumped in his chest as she walked to the familiar counter. This was it.

He brushed through the shelves, his feet treading the familiar path to the spot of the book. He came to stand in front of the series that Levy adored – the one in which he had left both the note that started it all, and the note to ask her to be his girlfriend.

He pulled another note out of his pocket and slipped it in the first chapter of the book, and then turned on his heel to meet Levy at their table, his heart pounding in his chest.

This was it.

He set the book on the table and then snuck up behind Levy, cuddling her from behind as she chatted with Lilly, who was making their mochas. As usual, her presence calmed him, allowing him to get his wits about him again. They gathered their drinks, saying goodbye to Lilly and then crawled into their booth.

Levy grabbed the book, sliding it across the table and smiling at his selection. "You picked our favorite!" she observed, her smile lighting up the room.

Gajeel just shrugged in response, "We haven't read it in a while, figured it would be a good idea."

Levy pecked a kiss on his cheek, "A great idea."

She opened the book, her face gaining a serenity that only books gave her. A calm washed over Gajeel as the familiar words of the book rang from her lips.

He laid his head on her shoulder, his eyes closed as he relaxed in her voice and the story it spun. Only a couple of pages.

His hand gripped his pocket.

He waited for her gasp when she turned the page before he moved. He slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out the little velvet box.

Levy's fingers encased the little slip of paper, four black words printed on it in his handwriting, and she turned to him, her eyes shining. He could see the tears forming in the corners as he slipped out of the booth and got down on one knee, pulling the box open.

A glittering ring shown up at her, the glinting diamonds reflecting in her eyes.

"What do ya say, Levy?"

The book dropped out of her hand, her other one crunching the paper slip in it, as she flung her arms around his neck. "Yes, absolutely yes!"

He pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes with his fingers, and then slipped the ring on her waiting finger. She opened her other hand to look at the crunched up note, smiling down at him through her glistening eyes.

"Gajeel, you really have a thing for anonymous messages."

 **Let me know what you think!**


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